Frequently-Asked Questions

General

The purpose of the newly-reformed Functional Skills has changed slightly from the legacy.

“Functional Skills qualifications should provide reliable evidence of a student’s achievements against demanding content… [and] provide a foundation for progression into employment or further technical education and develop skills for everyday life.”

There is now more focus on employment and educational progression within the qualifications at levels 1 and 2.

The last date is the 30th June 2020. By this point a centre will need to have its direct claim status signed off. Entry Level assessments can continue after this date as long as they are claimed in enough time

The last date is 30 June 2020. By this point a centre will need to have its direct claim status signed off. Entry Level assessments can continue after this date as long as they are claimed in enough time.

Registration

No. With the reformed Functional Skills English, Ofqual will no longer allow centres to use spiky profiles with learners. This means learners will need to complete all three elements of the Functional Skills English at the same level.

No. Ofqual have stipulated that there will be no transference of credits between the Legacy and the reformed Functional Skills English. What this means is that if a learner does not complete all three elements on the legacy by 31 August 2020, they will have to complete all three elements again on the reform.

Yes. Under the reformed Functional Skills, Ofqual have decided that learners need to be registered on the level of Functional Skill they will be completing. This will mean that there will be no more bundled registrations.

Assessment: Mathematics

The main change to the reformed Functional Skills maths, is the introduction of a non calculator paper across each level. This will form approximately 25% of the overall assessment (for both time and number of marks).

Both non calculator and calculator papers will be assessed in the same sitting as one paper. Because of this, there will be one overall mark with no partial resits. The assessments will be split into two separate sections.

Underpinning skills questions may or may not be in a context but they are more structured than the problem solving questions. They assess the learners’ knowledge and understanding rather than their ability to apply this knowledge and understanding.

An example: Find the surface area of a cube – underpinning

How much paint would you need to cover a cube with a coverage of 1 litre per 1 metre squared – problem solving – wouldn’t use the phrase surface area.